Search form

Search form

The number of students in Palm Beach County, Fla., who attend full-time virtual schools more than doubled since the last school year, to nearly 300. Some contend students in virtual schools miss out on interacting with their peers and may suffer from lack of motivation. But the mother of a student who frequently missed classes at her brick-and-mortar school because of chronic illness says the virtual school has been a great solution.

Related Summaries

Florida Virtual School had approximately 25,000 more students at the end of the last school year than it did the year before, up to about 148,000 overall. "I can tell you I see monumental growth as parents are finding out they can tailor their child's education to meet their needs," said Celeste Sanchez, a virtual-school liaison. "Parents love that they can pick and choose how their education is going to turn out."

A Massachusetts-based nonprofit that assists districts with special-education programs is providing academic instruction and tutoring in social skills to students with autism and other disabilities in the Derry, N.H., district. The New England Center for Children provides tutors who work with students in inclusive classrooms as well as in one-on-one sessions. "It's a partnership between lots of different folks all working together in the best interest of the students," one district official said.

Alabama is joining four other states in requesting federal permission to slash funding for special education for fiscal year 2010, which is over. Iowa, South Carolina, Kansas and West Virginia have also requested the one-time waivers, which are granted based on financial hardship.

School officials in Danbury, Conn., say new part-time programs for students who are gifted will be in place as soon as November. The new programs will include a three-hour Saturday program and twice-weekly after-school sessions that focus on science, technology, engineering and math, as well as students' problem-solving skills. The district's former gifted-education program ended because of budget cuts.

Reducing the rising cost of special education in Washington, D.C., schools is expected to be among the priorities of City Council Chairman Vincent Gray, who is poised to be elected as the city's next mayor Nov. 2. Gray opposes the strategy of outgoing Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, who had advocated the use of school vouchers paid for with public money. Kaya Henderson, the interim superintendent and one of Rhee's deputies, said last week that aggressive special-education reform is one of her top priorities.